Window structure



Sept. 8, 1953 M. J. NARDULLI WINDOW STRUCTURE Filed Oct. 18, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept 8, 1953 M. J. NARDULLI wINDow STRUCTURE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 18, 1949 FIEL l5 Sept. 8, 1953 Filed00t. 18, 1949 M. J. NARDULLI WINDOW STRUCTURE s sheets-sheet s Patented Sept. 8, 1953 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE WINDOW STRUCTURE Michael J. Nardulli, Elmwood Park, Ill., assignor to Michael J. Nardulli, Angelo F. Naples, and Peter F. Nardulli, as trustees, and known as Western Engineering Trust Application October 18, 1949, Serial No. 121,975

2 Claims. 1

This invention relates tof-window structures and particularly to windows having vertically slidable upper and lower sash.

Window structures of the aforesaid character are most commonly exemplified in commerce as double hung' windows, in which upper and lower sash are mounted for vertical sliding movement in outer and innerv sash guideways afforded in the window frame, and in window structures of the aforesaid character the respective sash are usually held in the desired positions of vertical adjustment by friction or spring means or by Weighted or spring-type counterbalances. With such conventional Window structures, one com.- plete and full length verticalv guideway is required for each individual sash, and it is an important object of the present invention to enable both the upper and lower sash in a window structure of this type to be mounted for accurately guided sliding movement in a single guideway.

Other and related objects are to enable extremely thin and lightweight sash to be em- Yployed in such a relation as to permit independent vertical sliding movement thereof in a single vertical guideway, and by reason of the light weight of the sash to simplify the frictional retention of the sash in the desired positions of vertical adjustment.

With conventional double hung window structures, the outer side of the outer guideway is dened by the blind stop of the frame, and out-.- wardly of the blind stop and defined in part thereby, such window frames afford a' blind seat. In such structures the provision of storm sash or screens has in the kpast required mounting of the storm sash or screen in the blind seat or on the blind stop. An important object of the present invention is to so construct and mount the sash of a window structure that the main upper and lower sash may be mounted in the inner guideway of the frame while a storm window may be aiorded Acomprising upper and lower storm sash mounted inthe outer guideway of the window frame, thus to afford a main window and a storm window within the physical space normally occupied by the rnain` sash of conventional Window structures.

Other objects are to afford a window structure that is particularly adapted for use in modern structures where relatively thin outer Wall structures are employed, and to do this by enabling the total thickness of a double hung window to belreduced in such a way that the total thickness of the window frame may be substantially reduced, thereby to conserve on lumber or material cost, and a related object is to accomplish such reduction in thickness in a double hung window structure in such a Way that the usual blind stop and blind seat are retained for mounting of conventional screen or storm window structures where this is desired.

Another object is to enable the sash used as main sash and as storm sash to be identical in basic form and dimensions, thereby to simplify manufacture and inventory problems.

Other and further objects of the present invention will be apparent from the following description and claims and are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which, by way of illustration, show a preferred embodiment and the principles thereof and what I nowv consider to be the best modein which I have contemplated applying those principles. Other embodiments of the invention embodying the same or equivalent principles may be usedfand structural changes may be made as desired by those skilled in the art without departing from the present invention and the purview of the appended claims.

In the drawings: y

Fig.. 1 is an inside elevational view of a window structure embodying the features of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional View taken substantially along the line 2 2 of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 -is a plan sectional view taken substantially along thev line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig.4 is an inside elevational view of one of the upper sash;

Fig-5 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along the line 5--5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 isa horizontal sectional View taken substantially along the line 6--6 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along the line l-l of Fig. 3

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken substantially along the line 3--8 of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is an enlarged fragmental View showing inside of one of the sash and illustrating the way in which it is secured in Vertical position; and

Fig. l0 is a fragmentary bottom plan section taken substantially along the line Ill-l El of Fig. 9. For purposes of disclosure, the invention is illustrated as embodied ina window structure 2B wherein a window frame is aiorded by vertical frame structures 2l and 22 that are connected at their uppery ends by an upper frame member 23 and at their lower ends by a sill structure 24. This window frame structure as herein shown is in all major respects identical with a frame structure that has been made and sold by R. O. Sales Company of Royal Oak, Michigan, and as heretofore merchandised, this frame structure has been utilized as a mounting for a double hung window structure comprising an upper sash and a lower sash that were held in the desired positions of vertical adjustment by spring means, as will hereinafter be described, but which in other respects were related to each other in substantially the same manner as in ordinary double hung window structures.

Under and in -accordance with the present invention, the mounting of the sash structures in the frame is so arranged and improved that a single guideway, which in prior structures would have served as a guideway for a single sash, may be used to guide an upper sash and a lower sash so that, on one hand, the frame structure may be simplified and reduced in thickness and cost so as to embody but a single guideway, or, on the other hand, where two guideways are provided, a main set of windows embodying an upper sash and a lower` sash may be mounted in the inner one of the two guideways, while a set of storm sash embodying upper and lower sash, of the same basic construction as the main set of sash, may be mounted in the other or outer guideway.

Before proceeding to the particular arrangement of the sash under the present invention, it should be pointed out that in the R. O. W. Sales Company frame structure, the guideways on the opposite vertical frame members 2i and 22 are substantially similar with the exception, however, that the inner and outer guideways on the right-hand frame member 22 are stationary, while the guideways on the left-hand frame member 2l are yielding in character so that by moving a window sash to the left against one of the yielding left-hand gudeways, the sash may be disengaged from the right-hand guideway and may be removed in an inward direction from the window frame structure 20. While this characteristic is not essential insofar as certain aspects of the present invention may be concerned, the guideway arrangements herein illustrated are of the same general character as those manufactured and sold as aforesaid by R. O. W. Sales Company. Thus, as is best shown in Figs. 3 and 7 of the drawings,` the frame structure is provided with an inner set of guideWaYS 11G- and R-G-i, and an outer set of guideways LG-2 and RG-Z. Each of these guideways is formed from an elongated sheet metal member that is bent to form a channel shaped guideway 21, and from the opposite edges of the side walls of the channel the metal is extended laterally as at 28 and then in a rearward or reverse direction as at 29 to afford whatv amounts to an elongated stop of substantial width. It will be observed in Fig. 3 that one of these side stops, as indicated at 28A, is somewhat wider than the otherI and in practice these wider stop elements '28A are located so that such stop members 28A are disposed next to each other and afford a relatively wide spacing structure in the position that is normally occupied by the parting bead in a double hung window structure. At spaced points throughout the length of the channel 21, mounting thimbles 30 are provided so that they extend through the bottom of the channel 21 and have their lower or closed end walls disposed in the plane of the mounting flanges 29. With respect to the right-hand guideways RG-l and RG-2, a screw 3l is extended through the bottom of each of the mounting thimbles 30, S as 00 thereby clamp the flanges 29 against a plank member 22P that forms the side element of the left-hand Window frame structure.

In respect to the left-hand guide members LG-I and LG-Z, it should be observed that exactly the same structure is employed, but in the left-hand vertical structure 2| of the window frame, a relatively deep mounting groove or space 35 is provided, the bottom of which is aiorded by a plank element 2 IP. The guideway members LG-I and LG-Z are in this instance positioned in this deep channel so that the bottoms of the flanges 29 are spaced from the plant 29P, and a plurality of springs 36 are put in place between these channels and the plank 2 iP, thereby to urge the channels or guideway members in a right-hand direction. This outward movement is governed and limited by mounting screws 38 which are similar to the screws 3l but are relatively long, as will be evident in Fig. '7.

The guideway structures that have thus been afforded would ordinarily be used, as hereinbefore pointed out, to receive an inner sash in one guideway and an outer sash in the other guideway, but as herein shown, these two guideways afford a mounting for a storm Window structure as well as an ordinary or inner window structure, and in attaining proper cooperation of the various elements, I have resorted to but 4a slight modification of the guideway structures that have thus been afforded. Thus, I have provided lock-'- ing openings lo in the upper end portions of the guideways RG-l and RG-Z, and openings 4l in the guideway LG-l, such openings being adapted to cooperate with means on certain of the sash members, as will hereinafter be described.

In accordance with the present invention, the inner guideway afforded by the members LG-i and RG-l is utilized to support and guide a lower sash LS-l and an upper sash US-l, while the outer guideway that is afforded by the members LG-Z and RG-2 is utilized to support and guide an upper sash IIS-2 and a lower sash LS-2. It might be pointed out that while these sash may be made in accordance with any desired structural method or of any desired material, I have herein shown such sash as being basically constructed from wood and in accordance with the method and structure disclosed in the copending application of Delegard et al., Serial No. 753,586, filed June 9, 1947, which has now'become abandoned. l

Each of these sash is made up from a basic sash structure of the character disclosed in the aforesaid Delegard and Nardulli application, and such structure will be described herein only in a general way, reference being made to the aforesaid Delega-rd and Nardulli application for specinc details of structure. In Figs. 4, 5 and 6', the upper sash ITS-2 is illustrated, and in common with all of the other sash herein shown, the sash US-Z has a frame that is made from two opposed and adhesively bonded frame elements, or half-thickness frames, which serve to enclose and support a glass pane P. The sash structures that are thus provided are made up in a series of different standard sizes and may, of course, be utilized in other mounting arrangements. In accordance with the present invention, the upper sash US-Z has a guide rail 50 secured along its upper inner face, or, in other words, along the upper horizontal frame element 5i of the sash frame. This rail 50, at the plane of the juncture with the frame element 5l, has an upwardly opening weatherstrip groove 52 formed there'- inin the present instance to receive'theirlb of -a conventional ribV strip V53 that is iixed lto the top frame member of the window frame.

In a similar manner, the lower' sash ISS-2 has a guide rail 55 fixed along the outer face of the lower frame member 56 ofthe sash. The' sash US-2 and LS-2 are fitted in the respective guideways RG-Z and LG-2, the inner corners ofthe vertical frame elements of the sash LS-2 being rabbeted as at 5'l,while the outer vertical corners of the sash US-Z are rabbeted asv at 58. Thus, when the sash IIS-2 and LS-Z are' put in position in the guideways, the adjacent vertical faces of the two sash are arranged .to engage each other, while therabbeted'vertical corners 5T' and '58 of the respectivesash engage the `side walls of the guideways RG-Z and LG2. It will be .Y noted that the thickness of the rail 50 is such 'that its end portions engage within the Yguideways LG-2 and RG-2 directly over the lower sashLS-2, while the thickness of the lower rail 55 on the lower sash LS-2 causes similar engagement with the opposite sides of the guideways beneath the upper sash US-Z. The rail 50 thus cooperates with the rabbeted corners 58 to guide the upper edge portion of the sash US-Z and hold the same in a Vertical position within the guideways, and this same function is attained by the lower rail 55 in respect to the lower sash'LS-Z, the rail 55 cooperating with the rabbeted corners 51 of the lower sash LS2 in attaining this guiding action.

The intermediate portions of the sash, or, in other words, the lower edge portion of the upper sash and the upper edge portion of the lower sash, are

guided at all times by the engagement of the opposite portions of the vertical elements of the frames of the respective sash, and thus the two sash are properly guided at all times in the various vertical adjusting movements of such sash. When the sash are in their closed positions, a meeting rail action is afforded since the upper frame member of the lower sash and the lower frame member of the upper sash are disposed in face to face engagement.

In the present instance where a resilient guideway such as the guideway LG-2 is employed, the releasing movements that may be performed in respect to the lower sash LS-Z would, of course, remove the retaining pressure on the upper sash US-Z, and in order to simplify the installing and removing operations, means are afforded in association with the upper sash US-2 for positively retaining the sash in its upper position during mounting or dismounting operations performed in respect to the lower sash LS-2. For this purpose, a horizontally slidable retaining bolt 60 is secured by means such as screws 6| on the lower face of the rail 50 adjacent to the righthand edge of the sash ITS-2, as shown in Fig. 1, and this bolt 60 is adapted to pass into the locking opening 40 that is provided as aforesaid in the right-hand guideway RG-Z, it being noted that a similar locking opening is provided in the other right-hand guideway.

With the structure that is thus aiTorded in outer guideways LG-2 and RG-2, the window frame is provided with a complete set of double hung windows that may be moved into different vertical positions so as to be retained in such positions by the spring pressure afforded by the resilient or spring guideway LG2. In the present instance, the sash LS-2 and 'US-2 are utilized as storm sash, and the other pair of sash US-I and LS-l are utilized as the inner or main windows. Thus, the upper sash US-I has .asimilar andsomewhatsmaller guide frail 50A xed on'the inner vsurface of the upper element of lthe sash frame, this guidevrail 50A in the present instancev having'a smaller vertical di- `mension than the guide rail 50 since it is unnecessary to: provide a groove 52 in the rail 50A. `The lower `'sash LS-l in the present instance has v-a guide rail 55A that `is similar in its general lo- '-LS-I has a similar locking bolt 61 fixed thereon so that this bolt may beselectably engaged with 'any one of the locking openings 4l that are `formedin the lefthand guideway LG-l, thereby vtoenable the sash LS-I to be lockedin any one .of several vertical and partially open positions,

it being noted that the lower one of the openings V4l lprov-ides. for the locking of the lower sash LSs-l in its fully closed position. The inner sash members LSL-I and US-l are similarly rabbeted at 51A vand at 58A so that a similar guiding action is attained in respect to these sash. Itl'will be observed that the sash arrangemen that is provided under the present invention enables two sash to be mounted in a single vertical guideway, and these sash are held in the proper vertical relation during sliding'movements thereof, byV cooperation of the sash with the guideways and with each other. It will be apparent that through the arrangement that is afforded by the present invention, the window structures may be materially simplied and the window structures may be made relatively thin so that the proper window closures may be disposed within a relatively narrow dimension. Moreover, the present invention makes it possible to locate a storm sash and a main sash structure within the space normally occupied by a double hung window structure, and it will be observed that in the present arrangement, an outer stop 10 and a blind seat 'H are afforded so that the usual half-screen may be mounted on the outer stop 10, or a complete or full-screen may be mounted in the blind seat in accordance with usual practice.

It will be apparent that the present invention materially simplifies the provision of sliding winy,dow structures and materially reduces the cost of aiording those structures.

Thus, while I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that this is capable of variation and modification, and I therefore do not wish to be limited to the precise details set forth, but desire to avail myself of such changes and alterations as fall within the purview of the following claims:

I claim:

1. In a window structure, a frame having side jambs, a transverse upper member and a lower sill, means on the respective jambs having a pair of opposed parallel vertical guideways of predetermined width and disposed one on each of said jambs and each embodying an inner stop and an outer stop, an upper sash and a lower sash disposed in vertical sliding movement in said pair of opposed guideways, said upper sash having a sash frame embodying top, bottom and side frame elements and disposed in said guideways with top frame element having a cheek rail fixed on its inner face and of a width such that it engages said inner stops of said guideways to hold the upper end portion of said upper sash against said outer stops, a lower sash having a sash frame embodying top, bottom and side frame elements Aand disposed in said guideways with said side frame elementsthereof engaging said inner stops, said sash frame of said lower sash having a thickness equal to substantially less than said predetermined width of said guideways and said bottom frame element of said lower sash having a cheek rail xed to the outer face thereof and of a width such that it engages said outer stops to hold the lower end of said lower sash against said inner stops, said lower frame element of said upper se sh and said upper frame element Yof said lower sash being disposed opposite each other Within said guideways so that each sash acts as one side of a runway for the other sash.

2. In a window structure, a frame having side jambs, a. transverse upper member and a lower sill, means on the respective jambs having a pair of opposed parallel vertical guidleways of predetermined width and each embodying an inner stop and an outer stop, an upper sash and a lower sash both disposed in said pair of gudeways and each having a sash frame embodying top, bottom and side sash frame elements and said frames each being of a thickness substantially less than the said predetermined width of said guideways,

said upper and lower sash being disposed in said pair of guideways with their edges/located in said guideways with said upper sash engaging said o uter stops and said lower sash engaging said inner stops, and check rails xed respectively on the inner face of the upper frame element of said upper sash and the outer face of the lower frame element of said lower sash to make said upper frame Aelement of said upper sash and the lower frame element of said lower sash of such thickness asV to completely ll the space between said inner and outer stops.

MICHAEL J. NARDULLI.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 51,918 A Calderwood Jan. 9, 1866 V565,774 Montgomery et al. Aug. 11, 1896 675,263 Brown May 28, 1901 941,629 Duering Nov. 30, 1909 1,704,373 Robbins Mar. 5, 1929 1,727,613 Loetscher Sept. 10, 1929 1,818,411 Lischick Aug. 11, 1931 2,288,936 Casey July 7, 1942 2,412,190 Womack Dec. 3, 1946 Y2,430,059 Krantz Nov. 4, 1947 2,547,315 kGray Apr. 3, 1951 2,561,511 Holmes July 24, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 169,457 y Germany 1906 318,801 France 1902 642,933

Germany 1937 

